TESOL at Forty and Lightbown & Spada's Chapter 7

            I found the article reading this week interesting in that it illustrates the SLA through time. Unlike a lot of what we have read, it does not focus on one theory or a specific category of theories, but looks at SLA from a bigger picture. It is almost like an overview—and very well fits into our studies since it is the end of the semester.

            I especially found it interesting when the article talks about how intrinsic motivation facilitates empowerment. In this particular section, the article explains that through time our teaching values have shifted from “product-oriented and teacher-fronted pedagogies” to “process-oriented, autonomous, and experiential” pedagogies. This allows for our students to get more involved in what they are learning, as opposed to just listening to a lecture. Teaching methods such as these allow for students to pick up a language from practicing, and they also allow students to feel worthy in the classroom. The best kind of learning environment is a comfortable one, where a student feels comfortable enough to participate in class and interact with his/her classmates and teacher.
           Aside from the article reading, I found Lightbown and Spada's chapter 7 very enjoyable to read. I feel as if everything in this chapter has been what we have been talking about this entire semester, and works as a great wrap up. It is so important when the authors bring up these misleading "notions" that are believed and passed around our culture about language learning, because language learning is so very different for everybody. Realistically, there isn't a right answer to the best theory, or best way of learning a language. There is no formula, and as Dr. Seloni would say, it isn't a "one size fits all" process, so it is so important for us as future educators to recognize the "gray areas" of SLA.

Proposals for The Classroom and Academic and Interpersonal Competence

Lightbown and Spada’s Chapter 6:

            I found this chapter interesting because it actually gives prime examples of teaching in the classroom. Much of what we have studied and talked about has been theory that can be applied to our teachings, but this chapter specifically exemplifies applications, or as the authors call it “proposals” of teaching English as a second language. The six proposals are as follows:

1.     Get it right from the beginning

This proposal suggests that errors are corrected before they become habits. It is hard to get rid of a habit if it has not be corrected from the beginning, even when the student understands the error.

2.     Just listen… and read

This is based on language acquisition through comprehensible input from reading and listening.

3.     Let’s talk

In this proposal, the authors write about the importance of not just listening, but also talking and interacting with the teacher and other classmates. The authors state, “ …when learners are given the opportunity to engage in interaction, the are compelled to ‘negotiate for meaning’, that is, to express and clarify their intentions, thoughts, opinions, etc., in a way that permits them to arrive at mutual understanding” (150).

4.     Two for one

In this approach, students acquire the L2 as they study subject matter taught in that language. For example, in this approach a student would learn History in the L2.

5.     Teach what is teachable

This proposal means exactly how it sounds. Don’t try to teach a student something that is beyond his or her learning level at that moment.

6.     Get it right in the end

Proponents of this proposal argue that although form-focused instruction is important, not everything has to be taught. Many features of language will acquired naturally through exposure.

Saville-Troike’s Chapter 6:

            This chapter covers communicative competence, and distinguished between academic and interpersonal competence. It is interesting to recognize that there are different expectations for the two areas. It is even more interesting for us as future teachers, to recognize which we are teaching for. We obviously want our students to strive academically, but we also want them to be able to go out into the world after their educational career and be successful communicators. Something that I have never really considered before reading this chapter is the levels of reading that my future students may be. I mean, I obviously know that they will all be at different comprehension levels, but it is important to remember that some students’ L1s will use a different orthographic system. There is a lot that goes into learning a new graphic representation, as the author explains that it includes not only the learning of symbols that represent letters, but also “recognizing and interpreting new conventions of punctuation.”